It is known that the impact of a golf club hitting a golf ball causes vibrations through the shaft of the club. The frequency of these vibrations will generally indicate whether the ball has been struck using the correct portion of the club head, the so-called ‘sweet spot’, or whether contact has been made off the centre of the sweet spot. The frequency of the vibrations that result from an off-centre strike is generally unpleasant to the golfer and several attempts have been made to control and/or mitigate such frequencies through the use of damping devices.
A number of damping devices, for example that which is disclosed in EP0531233, were developed to be fitted to the exterior of the shaft of the golf club to dampen these vibrations. Later developments include shaft inserts that incorporate a damping material, for example those which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,586 and WO0062873. However, none of these devices have been found to provide satisfactory results.